In telecommunication networks various communication network nodes are arranged for connecting and serving end users and their wireless communication devices with various services, such as communication possibilities with other end users or access to services at the Internet.
With reference to FIG. 1, which is a schematic overview, a scenario in a communication network will now be described with reference to an example.
The term “wireless communication device” will be used throughout this description to denote any device which is capable of wireless communications. The term wireless communication device may thus include any device, which may be used by a user for wireless communications. Accordingly, the term wireless communication device may alternatively be referred to as a mobile terminal, a terminal, a user terminal (UT), a user equipment (UE), a wireless terminal, a wireless communication device, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a mobile phone, a cell phone, a table computer, a smart phone, etc. Yet further, the term wireless communication device includes MTC (Machine Type Communication) devices, which do not necessarily involve human interaction. MTC devices are sometimes referred to as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices.
The term “RAN node” will be used to denote any suitable communication network nodes of which are arranged in a communication network for providing services to wireless communication device, in accordance with an appropriate radio access technology. For instance, a RAN node may be implemented as an RNC (Radio Network Controller) in UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) network, a WiFi Access controller in a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), an eNodeB in an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, etc.
Communication network nodes and wireless communication devices are offered by a number of vendors. Standardisation organisations, such as the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) establish standards to ensure that communication network nodes of different vendors will be able to operate together in the communication networks.
In order to make better use of installed communication resources and improve the end user experience there is therefore a need to enable service nodes to provide service information to RANs, and correspondingly for RANs to provide RAN-related information to the service elements.